Knockdown crate.



B. G. & R. M. HUTTON.

KNOCKDOWN CRATE.

Prue-Amon rILnD rms. 2,1910.

967,923. Patented Aug. 23, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

urmm d/Zan v B. G. &'R. M. HUTTON. KNOCKDOWN CRATE.

APPLICATION FILED IBB. z, 1910.

967,923. Patented Aug. 23, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEioE.

BURTROM Gr. I-IUITON AND RAYMOND M. HUTTON, OF PHILADELPHIA,PENNSYLVANIA.

KNOCKDOWN CRATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 23, 1910.

Application filed February 2, 1910. Serial No. 541,497.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, BURTROM G. HUTTON and RAYMOND M. HUTTON, citizensof the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county ofPhiladelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Knockdown Crates, of which the following is aspecification.

Our invention relates to improvements in knockdown crates, the object ofthe invention being to provide an improved crate of this character,which can be quickly knocked down when empty, and which will inclose theseparating partitions between the articles normally carried by thecrate, and may be returned, and in shipment occupy but a comparativelysmall space.

A further object is to provide a crate which may be quickly erected fromits knock down form, and which will be securcly and stronglyf held inits built up shape, so as to thoroughly protect the contents of thecrate, and provide improved mechanism for locking the crate in thisbuilt up and knocked down form.

A further object is to provide an im proved crate of this character,which is eX- tremely simple in construction, cheap to manufacture, yetstrong and durable in use.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certainnovel features of construction, and combinations and arrangements ofparts as will be more fully hereinafter described and pointed out in theclaims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective viewillustrating our improved crate in built up form with the cover thrownback. Fig. 2, is a view in longitudinal section with the cover in closedposition. Fig. 3, is a view in cross section of Fig. 2. Fig. 4, is anenlarged view in cross section at the center of the crate illustratingthe cover latch. Fig. 5, is a detail per' spective view of one of thecorner angles. Fig. 6, is a detail perspective view 'of one of thesleeved brackets. Fig. 7, is a perspective view of the crate in knockeddown form. Fig. 8 is a view in longitudinal section of Fig. Fig. 9, is aview in cross section of Fig. 8. Fig. 10, is a view of the latch keeper,and Fig. 1l, is a view of the latch.

The crate may be made of wood, metal or any suitable material, and we donot therefore limit our invention to any particular material of whichthe several parts are made.

The crate comprises a bottom 1, to which strips 2, 2, are secured atright angles, and extend upward from the ends of the bottom formingsmall sections of the ends of the crate.

To the front and rear edges of bottom l, strips 3 are secured, anddisposed at right angles to the bottom and to the strips 2, forming abox-like rigid structure, and it will be noted that the front strip 3extends upward slightly higher than the back strip 4, and both of thestrips 3 and 4 extend higher than do the end strips 2, the purpose ofwhich will hereinafter appear when describing the knockdown features ofthe casglo the end strips 2 the crate ends 5 are connected by hinges 6,said hinges being located on the inside of the crate. To the front andback strips 3 and 4, the crate front 7 and back 8 are connected byhinges 6, and hereinafter in the description, the same referencecharacter 6 will be used to indicate all of the hinges of the same type,this is the ordinary leaf hinge illustrated.

To the bottom l, and midway the length of the bottom, a transversepartition 9 is connected by hinges 6, and it will be noted particularlyby reference to Fig. 2, that this partition 9 when in a verticalposition, is appreciably shorter than the sides and ends of the crate,so as not to interfere with the operation of a stay rod 10 above thesame. There are three of these stay rods 10 em ployed, one being locatedat the center above partition 9, and the other two adjacent the ends ofthe crate just inside of ends 5 and near the upper edges of the crate.These stay rods have their downwardly bent ends mounted so as to swingin sleeved brackets 11 secured to back 8, and their free ends areadapted to engage in eyes 12 on front 7.

The brackets l1 are made with elongated sleeves so as to prevent anydownward pivotal movement of the stay rods with relation to the back 8,and hence maintain them always in their normal position, either acrossthe crate when the latter is in built up form, or over against the back8 when the crate is to be knocked down.

To the front 7 and back 8 at their ends, metal angles 13 are secured andare adapted, as shown in Fig. l, to overlap the ends 5,

` adjacentl its upper edge isa keeper 17, which wings or plates,whichhave pivotal con-nection with each other, so that in the normaloperation of the cover, one of these pivotal' connections is operated,while when the crate is knocked down, the intermediate wing of the hingeenables the cover to be swung backward to accommodate itself' to thedimensions of the knockdown crate, as will hereinafter appear.

On thel inside of front 7 at its center, and

is of' metal and provided at its` upper end with a heart shaped recess18, the upper end ofthe keeper being beveled as shown at 19, to directthemembers ofa spring latch 201 into the heart shaped recess. The springlatch 20 is secured to the under face of top 15, and is, preferably inthe form of a wire spring coiled between its ends, the ends of thespring adapted to engage the beveled shoulders 19 and compress themembers toward each other, and then spring into the heart shaped recess18 to hold the cover inv closed position.

The crate in normal operation is adapted to containy on each side ofpartition 9, a plurality of removablev partitions or spacers inaccordance with the articles carried in the crate, and while-the crateis especially designed for eggs, it is in no wise limited to such use.

To knock down the crate, the stay rods 10 are raised at their free` endsto free them from eyes 12 and the rods are then swung back against backV8. `Partition 9-is then folded down on bottom 1, and the removablepartitions ofi the crate illustrated at 21, are piled'on the bottomandthe-ends 5, 5, folded in upon them. lhe back 8 is then foldedl dow-nupon ends 5', 5, and cover 15 is thrown 'j back. The triple wing hinges16l permit this movement, so that the cover 15- will lie j iushwith therectangular formation off the crate. The front is then swung down onThese hinges 16, which I refer to as three-wing hinges are provided withthree 1 Y cover 15, and it will be noted that the angles i 13 of front.7 are, provided with small recesses 22, which are adapted, when thecrate f, is knocked down to en age over pins 28 on back 8, and thus holthe crate in this knocked down form, requiring a considerable pull onthe front 7 to pull it up when the crate is once knocked down, thusserving as a lock to hold the crate in knocked down shape anditscontents within the same for its. return shipment.

Various slight changes might be made in Q the general form andarrangements of parts described without departing from our invention,and hence we do not restrict ourselves to the precise details set forth,but I consider ourselves at liberty to. make such 3 changes andalterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of the claims.

Having thus described our invention what 1 we claim as new and desire tosecure by Leti ters Patent is 1. In a knockdown crate, the combination lwith ar bottom, of' strips secured to all edges of the bottom forming areceptacle, ends, front and back hinged to said strips, and

=` adapted to be folded inward, a top, double hinges connecting: the topand back, stay rods pivotally secured at one end to the back, eyes onthe front, hooked ends on the f stay rods engaofing in said eyes,

secured to the f and angles ront and back and engaging over the outsideof the ends.

2. Iny a knockdown crate, the combination with a bottom, of' stripssecured to all edges i of the bottom forming a receptacle, ends,

front and back hinged to said strips, and

adapted to be folded inward, a top, double :hinges connecting the topand back, stayl rods pivotally secured at one end to the back, eyes onthe front, hooked ends on the stay rods engaging in said eyes, anglessei cured to the front and back and engaging f over the outside of theends, pins on the ends of the back, and said angles having recesses toreceive the pins and hold the 4 parts'in knockdown formation.

In testimony whereof wel have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribingl witnesses.

BURTROM G. HUTTON. RAWOND M. HUTTON.

Witnesses:

R. KRENKEL, CHAs. E. Po'rfrs.

